"Elite cheeses and steaks for Br100 per kilo." Who buys premium products and is there a cheaper alternative?

Topic news In the windows of Belarusian stores, among the scatterings of MEAT, cheeses and sausages, in recent years, premium goods with an appropriate price tag have become increasingly common. Who buys them and are there cheaper alternatives to such products? In search of an answer, we go to the eco-market and one of the largest hypermarkets in the capital.

People understand what they are buying.

Recently, a video went viral on TIKTOK where people were asking for 100 rubles per kilogram of Belarusian beef. But it’s one thing to see a video on the Internet, and another to personally evaluate the level of premium products. Therefore, we go to the farmers market not far from the legendary Komarovka. Sellers unanimously assert: all products are environmentally friendly, the circle of clients has been developed. Several dozen buyers walk between the counters, asking prices for meat, cheeses and vegetables. The price tag here is not shocking. it was not possible to find beef for 100 rubles, the maximum was 30, and Belarusians have not been surprised by elite cheeses for 70-100 rubles for a long time.

Farm owner Olga sells lamb. The most expensive items on the counter are shish kebab and ham pulp, both for 34 rubles. There is no desire for sensationalism; sheep meat has always been in price.

“There is a huge demand for lamb; there is not enough of it on the market,” says Olga. - Everyone who tried it says: “Very tasty!” Lamb is the healthiest meat. Well worth the money.

Farmer Yulia is sincerely surprised by our question, where to find meat for 100 rubles per kilo:

- At that price? Are you joking? Nonsense! I had the freshest homemade pork for 23 rubles per kilogram, but I’ve already sold out of it all. 100 rubles - only dried meat.

Farmer Anna offers cheeses from 70 to 80 rubles per kilogram. Goat and with noble mold - 90 each.

- The widest range: with white and blue mold, washed rind and so-called “stinky cheeses”. We have regular customers who come every Saturday.

But what's with the jerky?

“This morning I sold a bouquet of dry meat for 100 rubles per kilogram,” says farmer Vitaly.

He offers to try the remaining “stalk” and does not agree that 100 rubles per kilo of dried meat is expensive:

- Potato chips in the store cost 50-60 rubles per kilo. In this case, is 100 rubles for dried meat a lot? Some buyers, of course, say that it’s expensive, but they still don’t leave me empty-handed, because they understand what they’re paying money for .

Standing nearby, Ivan sells meat snacks. Some of his items cost 12 rubles per 100 grams.

“They sort it out well,” the seller smiles. - Do you want to say that it’s expensive? I disagree. From three kilograms of raw materials I get a kilogram of dried meat.

Ivan explains pricing: high-quality farm meat already costs more than what enterprises sell, plus the cost of trimmings, seasonings, and electricity, which is necessary for drying.

- We prepare meat in such quantities that it is enough for one trading day. It’s better not to have enough than to have too much left.

Alexander is an avid hunter. He says that roe meat costs 30 rubles per kilogram. Stewed meat and wild boar - 40 rubles each. Several dozen buyers come every day.

“Starting from October, hunting for elk and deer will be allowed, but the cost of meat there is even lower,” explains the interlocutor.

- Where did the myth about meat for 100 rubles come from then?

- Why a myth? - Alexander is surprised. - This is how much marbled beef steaks cost in stores. But this is an elite product.

Prices for cheese made from baked MILK start at 13 rubles in neighboring Komarovka, and then go vertically upward, just like at the eco-market. For a kilogram of selected dairy veal they ask for 40 rubles, and boneless pork - 11.

Why pay more?

And we continue to look for meat for 100 rubles per kilo already in the hypermarket. Of the prices that could surprise, we found 125 grams of black caviar for 429 rubles. And finally, good luck - beef ribeye steaks cost 50.63 rubles per half kilo.

There are separate display cases for elite meat, red and black caviar, and unique varieties of cheese. True, they were unable to wait for buyers - queues formed where cheese costs from 16 rubles, and for pork they ask for 13 rubles per kilogram. Here everyone will find their product at an acceptable price.

- Trade does not stand still - it is constantly evolving, adapting to the buyer. As for the premium product segment, it has always been on the Belarusian market. Another issue is affordability, the Association of Retail Chains told us.

In recent years the situation has changed significantly. High-class specialists with large salaries appeared. People have begun to travel more often and, returning from other countries, are looking for products that they tried there. Someone finds original recipes on the Internet and wants to cook dishes using them. Also, many guests come to Belarus , and we, as hospitable hosts, strive to offer them familiar food. There is a demand for exotic fruits , seafood, blue cheeses...

- Today, farms are actively developing, offering a whole line of new cheeses, marbled beef , and lamb. Black wine is also produced in Belaruscaviar , foie gras and other delicacies. Trade and the food industry are sensitive to demand by offering new products. Remember - when they started selling live sturgeon in stores, everyone was surprised: why? Today there are no questions, the association assured us.

They noted that demand in the premium segment is the same, plus or minus, and increases mainly before the holidays. But sales of mass products are growing. Undoubtedly, pork for 12-13 rubles is purchased much more often than marbled beef for 100.

- Today, supermarkets and hypermarkets most often sell premium-segment products. But even their sales of premium products reach a maximum of 1% of turnover, more often less. Everyone understands that we need to develop and try to sell new items, but not a single chain will supply more than 10 cans of black caviar at once. After all, no one guarantees that all products will be sold before the expiration date . It’s easier to deliver it later,” explained the Association of Retail Chains.

According to the National Statistical Committee, real disposable income of the population of Belarus in January - April of this year increased by 9.8% compared to the same period in 2023, retail trade turnover - by 12.2%. The increase in consumer prices in May by April 2024 was below the average value recorded in Belarus in the reporting month over the past 10 years.

Alexey GORBUNOV.

“Your stores are bursting with products”

In the “Honest Story” project on the BELTA YouTube channel, Latvian candidate for the 10th European Parliament Olga Chernyavskaya assessed Belarusian products and also compared the situation in stores in Latvia and Belarus.
The candidate for the European Parliament noted that Belarus has everything, and the food products are very tasty, especially dairy products.

- Your stores are simply bursting with products. I was amazed by this. You have so many of these products! Our store shelves are half empty. No matter how I go, I always don’t get some product that I bought before,” Olga Chernyavskaya noted and added: “They promote us to eat FLOUR from larvae, from cockroaches, from some insects, they say, already found in our food, in some chocolates, in some flour. If you do not prepare this food yourself at home from some natural products, then you may already be eating these larvae.

-Your food is more natural, and you can feel it. I know that your standards have been preserved since the Soviet Union, GOST. This is something to be envied,” Olga Chernyavskaya noted.

Returning to the fact that in Belarus store shelves are full of food, Olga Chernyavskaya once again emphasized that in Latvia it is completely different:

- Everything here is very modest, thin, thin. The last time I went to one of those stores that I love, I only go there for certain products, this is a very high-end Sky store, very cool, and I was amazed. I didn't find what I went there for. I started walking around the store: there were very few products and very few people. And everything is so sad.

Based on materials from BELTA,
newspaper "7 days".